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[b]Guest blog by AWEA Manager of Transmission Policy Michael Goggin[/b]

Perfectly timed for WINDPOWER, wind output in ERCOT [the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the utility system for much of the state] has been extraordinarily high ever since we got here yesterday, and they just set a new record for instantaneous wind output a few minutes ago. Output at 5:16 PM CT [May 23] was 6721 MW, which “blows away” the old record of 6272, set on March 5. It is possible but unlikely that wind output could have been even higher earlier today – since ERCOT only displays current output and not historical data I can’t know for sure (I just happened to check at 4:25 and notice it was near record territory, and I watched in real-time as wind set several new records before it peaked at 6721). It also happened near peak demand on a warm day, which contradicts the perception that wind only blows when electric demand is low. (Load was 48144 at the time, which puts the penetration at just under 14%, which is lower than the 20% that has been reached several times previously in ERCOT when demand has been lower.) These numbers are only for ERCOT, so the total for Texas would be even higher if you included the wind output from the parts of the state on SPP’s [the Southwestern Power Pool] grid, which I don’t have because SPP doesn’t report their numbers.

You can check the [url=http://mospublic.ercot.com/ercot/jsp/frequency_control.jsp]real-time ERCOT wind output here[/url].

A new, authoritative study finds that wind energy could supply 30% of the electricity used in the Western U.S., sharply reducing power system operating costs and saving consumers money.

The Western Wind and Solar Integration Study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and conducted by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. It accompanies another major study released in January, the Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study (EWITS), which looked at 20% wind in the continental U.S. by 2030.

Results of both studies were strongly positive, confirming a slew of other studies of wind in the U.S. and Europe, all of which have found that large “penetrations” (percentages) of wind-generated electricity can be reliably integrated into utility systems.

Reference links:
[url=http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/05-21-10_Western_Wind_Integration.html]AWEA Welcomes Western Wind Integration Study[/url]
[url=http://www.nrel.gov/wind/systemsintegration/pdfs/2010/wwsis_executive_summary.pdf]Western Wind and Solar Integration Study: Executive Summary[/url]
[url=http://www.nrel.gov/wind/systemsintegration/pdfs/2010/wwsis_final_report.pdf]Western Wind and Solar Integration Study: Full Report[/url]
[url=http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/01-20-10_AWEA_Welcomes_NREL_Wind_Integration_Report.html]AWEA Welcomes NREL Wind Integration Report (EWITS)[/url]
[url=http://www.nrel.gov/wind/systemsintegration/pdfs/2010/ewits_executive_summary.pdf]Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study: Executive Summary[/url]
[url=http://www.nrel.gov/wind/systemsintegration/pdfs/2010/ewits_final_report.pdf]Eastern Wind Integration and Transmission Study: Full Report[/url]

AWEA Fact Sheets:
[url=http://awea.org/pubs/factsheets/Backup_Power.pdf]Backup Power and Emissions[/url]
[url=http://awea.org/pubs/factsheets/Transmission_and_Consumer_Savings.pdf]Transmission and Consumer Savings[/url]
[url=http://awea.org/pubs/factsheets/Energy_Storage_Factsheet.pdf]Wind Power and Energy Storage[/url]

The typical Texas residential consumer is expected to potentially save $160 to $355 annually in electricity bills, once new transmission lines are completed to deliver wind power throughout the state, according to a study released Friday from The Perryman Group.

Investment in new wind turbines and the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) transmission lines will help power the State of Texas with this renewable energy source.

In addition, the combined investment in new wind turbines and these transmission lines will create $30 billion in economic gains, employ thousands and bring in almost $2 billion in additional state and local taxes.

Also, Texas’s CREZ investment is expected to help the state annually conserve approximately 17 billion gallons of water, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by as much as 16% and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by up to 13%.

Several Texas university economists endorsed the methodology and results of the study, which measures the likely economic impact of the CREZ transmission investment, as well as the anticipated doubling of available wind power available to Texas customers by 2013.

Because wind turbines do not pay for fuel, their cost of operation does not increase the more they are used. So, as more wind power becomes available on the market, it has a greater influence on wholesale market prices. The net result is a lower overall cost of electricity. This results in reductions in rates for residential, commercial and industrial customers that exceed the long-term cost of the CREZ investments. This effect already has been seen in the West Texas wholesale market for electricity.

[b]“To put these numbers into context, the economic gains from CREZ and wind power translates into almost a half to 1 percent increase in our state’s economy, which is equal to the impact of the air transportation (low range) or the computer and electronic sector (high range) of our economy today,”[/b] said Dr. Ray Perryman, president of The Perryman Group. (emphasis added)

Further reading:
[url=http://www.perrymangroup.com/reports/Winds_of_Prosperity_Release.pdf]Full News Release[/url]
[url=http://www.perrymangroup.com/reports/Winds_of_Prosperity_Summary.pdf]Summary of Study Findings[/url]
[url=http://www.perrymangroup.com/reports/Winds_of_Prosperity_Final.pdf]Full Report[/url]

[b]Guest blog by AWEA Communications Editor Carl Levesque[/b]

Arkansas has landed another wind manufacturer.

Beckmann Volmer, a producer of major steel components for wind turbines, this week announced it will locate a new manufacturing facility employing approximately 300 people, and potentially 500, in Osceola, Ark.

The company, a direct supplier to turbine manufacturer Nordex, will invest $10 million in the new facility, where the 300-person staff will be employed at an average hourly wage of $18. The announcement exemplifies the geographic ripple effect of the wind power supply chain and how component producers prefer to be near the customers they supply—whether in the same country or, in this case, the same state. Nordex is also building a plant in Arkansas, as is fellow turbine assembler Mitsubishi.

“We are delighted to call Osceola, Ark., our new home,” said Bernd Volmer, managing director and co-owner of the company. “After a thorough search considering more than 100 possible locations in the Midwest and South, we believe that we have found the best place for us to set up shop.”

Upon completion of the initial investment and hiring of the first 300 employees, the company will consider an additional $7.5 million investment, along with 200 more employees, Beckmann Volmer said. The company is headquartered in Germany and also has operations in Poland and China.

Governor Mike Beebe (D), who visited Beckmann Volmer’s leadership on his European business trip in October 2009, joined local and company leaders at the announcement. “Beckmann Volmer is the latest international company to select Arkansas as the home for its North American operations, and their commitment will bring quality jobs to Mississippi County,” Beebe said. “Our stature in the renewable energy sector continues to bring this type of economic investment to Arkansas.”

Steel components manufactured by Beckmann Volmer have a wide variety of applications in a wind turbine. The largest component to be produced in Osceola will be turbine main frames, the structural backbone of the unit.

Previous blogs in this series:
[url=http://www.awea.org/blog/index.php?mode=viewid&post_id=380]Wind Factory Watch: Ingersoll Machine Tools[/url]
[url=http://www.awea.org/blog/Index.php?mode=viewid&post_id=376]Wind Factory Watch: ZF Industries, Georgia[/url]

Ontario’s chief medical officer of health has released a new [url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/ontario/no-proof-wind-turbines-harm-health-says-ontarios-top-doctor/article1575737/]report saying there is no evidence that wind turbine sound causes adverse health effects[/url].

The Ontario finding appears to be in accord with the findings of a [url=http://www.awea.org/newsroom/releases/12-15-09-sound_panel_release.html]scientific panel convened by AWEA and the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) to review the existing literature on wind turbine sound and health[/url].

While we are not surprised, it’s good to hear yet again that wind energy, which we know has substantial positive effects on human health through displacing air toxics and other harmful emissions of fossil fuels, does not have unsuspected harmful impacts.